//------------------------------// // Chapter X - Escape // Story: Collateral // by Ogopogo //------------------------------// The very moment I finished my warning, another torch was roughly shoved through the gap, sparks dancing across the floor. Before I could react, Marmalade leapt forward, grabbing the burning thing with her bare hooves, and pitched it back out the window. “Damn you all if you think I’m going to just let you burn down my inn,” she raged to those outside, ignoring the burns I could already see on her forelegs. I didn’t have the heart to tell her, but as much as I wanted to believe otherwise, there was nothing I could do to stop them. Flames were already beginning to flicker and grow outside as torches were heaped against the side of the building. This place would burn, as their foul minds intended, but the question remained: would we be inside the building when it was finally consumed? Ocean Wind must have realized the same thing just as I did. As our eyes met, a regretful nod passed between us. Taking charge, he began to bark out orders. “Starlight, Flare, get to the attic and look for a clear sight of the sky! If you cannot find one, make one! Amethyst, you and Boulder grab anything you can to try to stop the fire. Lemon Marmalade, you...” The off-white mare hadn’t been listening; she’d been too busy sprouting insults and profanity at the crowd outside. Already I could see her fetlocks were painfully burnt, the hair charred. “Amethyst,” the solar guard sighed, “I’ll help Boulder. You try and calm her down before she hurts herself any further.” Already well ahead of us, Boulder called out from the bar. “Hey!” he shouted, tossing each of us a balled-up, sopping wet rag. I carried one to Marmalade. “Tie these around your muzzles. Should help with the smoke.” “Right, everypony get to it now!” I ran over to Marmalade and grabbed her shoulder, nearly recoiling at the twin tails of anger and sorrow running through her. She shrugged off my hoof, kicking a table back in place, and throwing a rock out the window. Lunging, I made sure to latch both hooves onto her shoulders, so she could not escape. “Marmalade,” I spoke to her. She tried to twist away, ignoring what I had said. “Marmalade, look at me!” She smacked my face with a flailing hoof. “Master’s damnit Marmalade!” I snarled, shaking her roughly. The unicorn’s eyes widened as she stared at me, terror replacing fear. She continued to struggle, not to return to what she was doing, but rather to escape me. Only then did I realize how I looked: teeth barred, twisted into a snarl; the image of a predator. The buzzing in my head returned as I took a breath, calming myself. I leaned forward to embrace Marmalade comfortingly, waiting till her struggles died. “Marmalade, we can’t stay here. I know how much this place must mean to you, but you can always build another. None of us want to lose you, me least of all.” The words felt foreign rolling off my tongue. I was hardly used to this sort of thing. Gentle shudders racked her body as she returned the hug. The denial Marmalade had built in her mind finally gave way to reality. I lifted my head to watch the others as she cried into my shoulder, already mourning what she was going to lose. Boulder and Ocean Wind poured buckets of water around the windows, trying to dampen all they could, but the flames had already taken hold. I watched tongues of fire begin to grow, licking at the windows and ruthlessly pouring toxic smoke. Suddenly outside lit up in a green glow, shadows rapidly shifting as a magical flare curved through the sky. Moments later Starlight appeared at the top of the stairs, her eyes red and watering from the smoke. “Got it,” she coughed. “Sent the emergency signal. Flare kicked out a section of the roof that was under repair.” “Is the gap large enough to exit out of?” Ocean Wind asked. “No, but we could make it larger," she answered quickly. “Do it then,” he ordered. “They are going to have carry us out. There is no time for them to clear a path and rescue us. Everypony upstairs now!” Tugging Marmalade behind me, who stared absently in shock, I rushed up the stairs, followed closely by the Sergeant. Tears streamed from our eyes streamed from the smoke, which only thickened as we climbed. Perhaps we would make it out, if only we didn't suffocate first. “This way,” I heard Starlight call out, choking on smoke. I felt my way for the stairs, barely able to see a meter in front of me. “Can’t you do anything about the smoke?” I begged, trying to keep Marmalade upright. “Climb,” Ocean urged, without the breath to yell anything else. My hooves met the stairs and I practically lifted the stunned mare behind me. I wanted to speak out, to urge her to move, but I would make myself a hypocrite if I did so. Did I have mental purchase to climb from the barrel to save my parents, or had I just sat there, too scared to do anything? Furthermore, unlike then, this was entirely my fault and responsibility. Had the attic been as smoke filled as the hallway, I would have given up then and there. With a hole punched through the roof offering clean air, however, I struggled onwards and managed to gasp a few lungfuls of the city air. The others were only a second delayed in wheezing alongside me. “Move,” Flare stated, between teeth clenched with pain. “Need to take the rest down.” “Flare, are you...” Boulder’s eyes widened as he saw his brother’s legs. “Is that blood?!” he shouted. Four heads whipped around at that. It was even enough to break Lemon Marmalade from her daze. Blood pooled beneath Flare’s rear hooves, trickling down from cut and gashes along his legs. “Move,” he repeated, refusing to supply the obvious answer. “I’ll take over,” Ocean Wind said, eyes hardening. “You’re not strong enough,” Flare said, shaking his head. “And don’t you start, Amethyst. You and I both know you can’t do it. There’s no decision to be made. I have to.” Later, part of me would wonder whether he would have bucked me had I refused to move. Turning around, he pounded the already fractured wood, methodically dismantling it even further. Suddenly entire section of the roof gave way, exploding out into the street and nearly taking Flare with it. Marmalade and Starlight both grabbed hold of him with their magic, lifting him back inside. However, as Flare’s rear hooves touched the ground, he screamed and fell forward. Glancing behind us, I saw the smoke billow into a thick haze. In a snap decision, I grabbed hold of my bandages and pulled them from my back. The tattered rags of wings beneath now shivered in the roiling air. Ocean Wind must have gotten the same idea, as he flared his wings in preparation. “Flare first,” he wheezed. Nodding, I looped one of the fallen stallion’s legs around my neck and staggered over to the opening. Ocean Wind took his position on the other side, and on the count of three we leapt into the open space. My entire back erupted in pain as I open my wings, catching the air. For a moment, I was sure I was going to plummet to the ground, but somehow my wings held. Getting to the building across the street should have taken only seconds, but it grew into excruciating hours with each flap. Flare collapsed onto the sloped roof when we landed, almost taking me with him. The mob below somehow hadn’t noticed us, and were gradually backing away from the building inferno. Idiots. “You alright?” Ocean Wind asked. “I better be,” I spat. “Marmalade next.” We completed the crossing again, grabbing hold of the unicorn. “Where the hell is the guard?” Ocean wheezed. “Where do you think?” I gasped between breaths of stabbing pain. Suddenly I felt my wing give way, tearing further under the immense strain of carrying another. Now instead of lifting, I only managed to drag them down. “Fly dammit, Amethyst!” Marmalade screeched in my ear, the fall snapping her from her shock. I struggled, attempting to buzz my wings furiously, but I had given it my all. I could managed nothing more than falling slowly. At this rate, we were going to slam into the wall and paste ourselves. I found myself encased in raspberry glow. I made out the glowing outline of Starlight’s horn amid the wall of smoke in a quick backwards glance. The magic encased me, and I felt the strain lessen. Against all odds, we all made it to the opposite room, collapsing just as Flare had. “Amethyst, we need to get back over there!” Ocean hollered at me. “I can’t,” I moaned. “Get up,” he snarled. “I can’t.” Ocean Wind grabbed me roughly, pulling me upright so we were face to face. “They’re going to die!” he roared, spittle striking my face. “Ocean, I cannot fly,” I pleaded, flaring my torn wing. “I can’t do anything.” Growling, he threw me down onto the shingles and took to the air once more, diving into the smoke. My heart pounded in my throat as I waited for him to return. From where we were, the fire’s intentions had become clear. Though I had missed it before, I could hear the structure begin to creak as flames ate away at the supports. Marmalade’s inn may have been garbed in stone, as much of Canterlot was, but the structure was still made from wood. It wouldn’t be long now, not long at all. In a flash of red light, Boulder suddenly appeared next to us, sliding down the tiles as he struggled to find a hoofhold, coughing heavily. “Where are they?” I asked him. “Coming,” he struggled to say, the words coming out as a warbling rasp. Moments later, Ocean Wind emerged from the smoke without his armour, struggling to lift an unconscious fiery-red unicorn who I realized was Starlight. She was without her navy-blue armour. Strain was obvious across his face, his wings clinging to air. Though his effort may have been herculean, it was still not enough. With each flap he would lose a few inches, and with his faltering wing strength, the loss was irrecoverable. I was stunned when a pale yellow glow surrounded them. Marmalade stood beside me with her eyebrows furrowed in concentration, her horn flaring sunflower-yellow. Her action put my own- both tonight and that night- to shame. Ocean just slammed onto the roof, ignoring the scrapes he gained in favour of breathing. Boulder lunged forward to steady Starlight as she began to slide from the pegasus’ back. Breathing in deep, I extended my senses towards my friends, reaching out to their cores. One by one I passed each of them over, smelling the fragrance of their souls. Each shared in the utter relief and exhaustion our escape had called upon. But it was not to last. I felt something cold blossom inside Marmalade. The adrenaline and determination had begun to wear off, and the reality of the situation before her burned brightly against the dark night. “No,” she whispered, finally accepting what she was about to lose, and was powerless to stop. Her home; her life’s work was going up in flames before her. It was not the result of a burner left running, or any sort of accident, but clear malicious intent. “No,” she sobbed, tears beginning to trickle down her cheeks once more. The buzzing in my head returned as I placed my foreleg around her shoulder, squeezing her gently. “So where’s the guard now?” I asked Ocean Wind coldly. “Do you see them yet?” “I...” he began. A particularly loud crack from the burning inn cut him off. He must have realized the truth. “You think they care about us enough to protect us?” I growled. “Hell, do you think they would actually do anything if they found us lying dead in an alley? Their words were empty promises. It’s only because I was upsetting the status quo they let me hear what I wanted to hear.” Ocean Wind didn’t have an answer for me as he struggled to lift Starlight onto his back. “Come on,” he said dully, monotonously. “We have to get out of here. Boulder, can you carry your brother?” “Yes,” he responded. “Good. Amethyst, you help Marmalade. We’re leaving.” “No, we aren’t,” I shot back. “I’m not going to pull her away from this,” I continued, pointing to the blaze before us. “This was her home, Ocean! Grow a heart.” I tuned out his reply as I turned to face the inn, or what was still left standing of it, giving Marmalade another squeeze. Her sobbing breaths and shaking body reminded me of that night, my night, and soon I joined her, my silent tears trickling alongside her spluttering ones. There was nothing more painful than losing a home, save for losing loved ones. Nothing could replace the loss or fill the hole that would be left. Only time granted some measure of healing. You didn’t need to be a changeling to feel Marmalade's anguish, or her grief. The ponies encircling the blaze had stepped back, entirely oblivious to our escape. The circle kept expanding, as they were forced back from the immense heat. Even I could feel it from our position across the street. Cries of triumph rang out as the weakening structure finally collapsed. With a tortuous groan, matching Marmalade’s, it collapsed in a flurry of sparks that climbed into the night sky to become stars themselves. Marmalade buried her head into my chest and screamed. And I could do nothing but look on. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The journey back the castle was not a pleasant one. More than once we were forced to hide in a dim alley as ponies ambled up the street. Plenty were just common folk, ignorant of the hate their leaders forged, but some talked only of the fire, only of their triumph. Like a lost puppy, Marmalade followed my lead, in utter shock at what had happened. Occasionally, I would hear another muted cry whip itself into life, the sound so soft that it was at the edge of my hearing. Starlight had eventually woken up atop Ocean Wind’s back. She said she was fine, but the moment her legs touched the ground, she collapsed. A victim of magical exhaustion. With stubborn reluctance, the unicorn clambered back onto her coltfriend’s back. Without her armour altering her appearance, and under the fine coating of dull black soot, I could see that Starlight was a fiery red unicorn with a mane of raspberry curls. Not once during our entire trip back did we so much glimpse one of the famed blue plumes or the golden armour of the Royal Guard. Of course they had forsaken us entirely over more pressing matters, such as guarding empty hallways. A darker voice muttered that the whole thing reeked of a set-up, that this was assassination by negligence. Still, they would be hearing from me. That was for sure. We finally arrived at the bare space that divided the city from the castle. Like thieves, we emerged from the shadows. Now that we were intruding on their private domain, a quartet of unicorn guards blinked into being around us, drawing steel from holders. “State your business he–” Ocean Wind did not grant the guard a chance to finish. Without breaking his stride, he plowed a hoof into the guard’s muzzle, sending him stumbling back. “Don’t give me that shit, corporal,” he growled, ignoring the other guards and expecting us to follow. “Get us a bloody stretcher and a doctor. Then get the hell out of our way.” No one attempted to stop us as we entered the castle, passing shocked servants and nobles. We must have looked like beggars. Thankfully, the unicorn guard had taken heed of Ocean Wind’s request, and scarcely a minute after we had entered the castle, medics rushed out to greet us with a cloth stretcher. It took them one glance to find out who was trailing blood droplets. They quickly helped Flare onto the stretcher. He sighed in relief, and at that moment I could see how much sweat had built up around his forehead. “Amethyst, can you look after Lemon for me?” Boulder asked quietly, glancing towards the dazed mare. “I will,” I whispered. “Thank you.” Boulder followed after the stretcher, anxiously looking at his brother’s hooves, before they disappeared around the corner. “The princesses will want to speak with us,” Starlight said weakly. Placing my shoulder against Lemon Marmalade’s, I nudged her in the direction of my room. “Starlight...” I replied, pausing, “right now, they can go fuck themselves. If they don’t even care about us, why should I bother with them. Just go and rest. I’ll talk to them tomorrow morning.” Neither of them had an objection, as neither of them tried to stop me. Just as before, I took a deep breath to gauge how Marmalade was coping. It was bad. She was numb, empty, too traumatized and in-shock to even see clearly. Guiding her carefully through the halls, I ignored some of the looks we received. Doubtless, some of these ponies thought they’d never see her again. To them, I was bringing her back to my lair to consume. “Alright, just through here,” I said, opening the door to my room, and guiding her onto the bed. There were words of comfort I could speak to her, but what was the point when she wouldn’t hear them? She needed time alone. Gently, I tucked the covers in around her, and watched her forlornly as she cried herself to sleep. She’d taken the bed, so there was only one thing for me to do. I found an extra blanket after some digging in the closet, the type kept if guests got too cold during the night. Settling down on the thick carpet, I wrapped myself in the blanket, and drifted off into an uneasy sleep. ~~~~~~~~~~~~ Quiet whimpering broke me from my slumber. In my sleep-induced befuddlement, I was almost ready to roll out of bed, to throw open my window and shout at the neighbours to let their dog in. But then I realized where I was, and just who that whimpering was coming from. Lemon Marmalade tossed fitfully in her slumber, no doubt chased by phantoms and entrapped within her burning home. Though perhaps there may have been no words I could say while she slept, I knew the physical world had implications in dreams. Carefully, I climbed onto the bed and sat next to her head. I ran a hoof through her mane, again and again, humming a lullaby. I’ve never had any firm grasp on music, but I can hold a tune while humming. The song was one my teacher once sung to me. The changeling tune was still stuck in my head all these years later. Eventually, Marmalade settled, her breathing returning to normal as she fell back into a dreamless slumber. I sat there for a few more minutes in a daze, staring at her form. I had never taken the time to notice it, but when the lively mare was not arguing, or joking around, she was... beautiful. Though her mane was streaked with smoke, the yellow strands cupped her face with all the tenderness of a mother’s guidance. Her gentle breaths slowed my hoof down, until I was simply resting it against the ends of her hair. What the hell was I doing? I was watching a mare sleep, not because I had to, but because I wanted to. It took another second for me to tear my gaze from her and return to my blanket-bed, but that was enough time to get my head buzzing once more. I thought about lying there, away from her. But one soft sigh was enough for me to drag the blanket to the foot of the bed. Sometimes the presence of someone else is all we need to ward off nightmares. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Thank the masters Luna let me sleep this morning. Had she come to practice her drumming on the door again, I was pretty sure I would have bucked her across the hall. Marmalade needed her sleep, and so did I. Speaking of which... Propping myself up, I took a look around the room in search for the mare. To my relief, she was still here, lying on the bed and immobile, save for the gentle rise and fall of her blanket-covered sides. “Marmalade,” I whispered, approaching the bed. “Are you awake?” I knew she needed her sleep, but it would be better if she knew where I had gone. Panic would hurt more. “Yeah,” she replied, just as quietly. “I’m awake.” “I have to go speak with the princesses. Are you going to be OK here on your own?” “Yes.” “Marmalade–” I started. “Please, Amethyst,” she interrupted, not even rolling over to look at me. She sounded as dead as the wall. “I just want to be alone.” I took a whiff of the air, immediately disheartened by what I found. I had hoped there would be grief, or some sort of sadness, but instead there was simply nothing. An absence of any emotion. Perhaps space would help the most. “Alright.” I nodded in her direction, even though she wouldn’t be able to see it. “ I’ll come check on you later.” Walking over to the door, I shot her one last look of concern, before I slipped outside. Starlight and Ocean Wind were already there, dressed in sets of dented armour. They both looked at me expectantly as I emerged. “Morning,” I grunted. “Take it they want to see me now?” Starlight nodded. “To quote Princess Luna, ‘As soon as Amethyst steps hoof beyond the doors to his room.’” Again, I grunted in resignation. “So what’s with the new armour?” “Spare sets until they can forge us new ones. We left our armour back at her inn, remember?” “All too well. So what did they want me for?” Ocean Wind frowned, gesturing for me to follow. “It is probably best that they explain the situation to you.” I wasn’t able to pry anything more from them during our trip to the throne room. All I had gathered was it had been urgent and troubling. We reached the throne room soon enough, and the guards on duty stood warily to attention. Taking a breath, I urged myself to stay calm. Like that was ever going to happen. “You wanted to see me?” I called out, disturbing a meeting which was underway. I could have waited until they were finished, but they were the ones who demanded this meeting. They got one. The stallion speaking evidently speaking didn’t appreciate my entrance. “Excuse me, but we are in the middle of so–” “Yeah, well, tell it to someone who cares,” I shot back. “Do you want to speak with me or not, Celestia? Because I’m quite happy to go back to what I was doing.” The alicorn sighed, raising a hoof to rub at her eyes, only remembering the patch of bandages at the last moment. “I apologize, Blueblood, but this will have to wait until later. There is something that I need to discus with Amethyst.” “You mean this thing has a name?” he exclaimed. “Yes, Blueblood,” Luna answered with a sigh. “Now leave. We don’t want to ask you again.” There was a cold glint in her eyes that spoke of nasty consequences if he dared defy her. “Nice guy,” I muttered, once he had left. “Now do you mind telling me what the hell happened last night?!” Celestia shifted uneasily. “We are aware–” “Oh, so you’re aware!” I shouted. “You’re aware they tried to kill us and that we signalled for help!” “Amethyst, please–” “Now what was that again about not letting me take a disguise, when it would have prevented this entire bloody thing?!” “Be quiet!” Luna shouted, interrupting my tirade. “Amethyst, please let us explain our actions.” “Fine,” I snapped. “Let’s hear your excuse.” Celestia took a calming breath before starting. It was something she did quite often. I suspected that it had become a habit. “Amethyst, something happened last night that left us with no guards to send. In fact even we didn’t have enough, and we suffered for it.” Oh, that’s just rich. “So, during the Royal Wedding this place is just crawling with guards, and now you don’t have enough? Did they all go on vacation or something?” “During the wedding the threat of an invasion was leveled against Canterlot alone,” Celestia explained. “With no other prominent threats, garrisons from cities and towns across Equestria were concentrated here. However, when the changelings were finally driven from Canterlot, they were scattered across the country. Much of the Royal Guard has been repositioned across Equestria to locate the stragglers, leaving only a skeleton force here in Canterlot.” “Anything else?” I asked, “because I really don’t buy that. Canterlot is the capital.” Luna shook her head. “Please, Amethyst, let us finish our explanation before you pass judgement. During times such as these, we keep a number of guards ready as a response team should an emergency arise. Had last night been peaceful, save for the events Ocean Wind has already explained to us, the consequences would have been avoided. Despite all our intentions, however, something happened here which left the watch vacant.” I snorted in disbelief. “Like what? How could anything require the attention of every guard?” “Perhaps it might be better if we showed you. I assure you, Amethyst,” Celestia said, stepping from her throne, “I regret that last night happened the way it did, and you have our deepest condolences, but perhaps you may understand why.” Somehow I held my tongue, holding back the torrent. Condolences, hah! The only thing she was sorry for was that I wasn’t dead. In fact, I’d wager they had pointedly ignored our plea for help, engineering an excuse in the unlikely event we escaped. “Sorry”, and its kin, were nothing more than air shaped into sound in the hope others would forget. In the manner of a bully who tripped another on purpose, she would say she was sorry, and move on without ever meaning a word of it. At the fourth turn and second flight of stairs, I recognized where we were. The place I had been imprisoned when I had been first captured: the dungeon. Something in the air unsettled me with each step we took. It felt like a phantom lurking over my shoulder. It took me nearly a minute to recognize it, but when I did, my eyes widened and I choked down a gasp. It was fear. Whoever was in the dungeon was scared beyond rational thought. As we stood in front of the final door, the one to the dungeon cell, I distanced myself from the almost-painful emotion. Again, I really wish I could convey this, but being able to sense emotion cannot be described in this language. Some of them have an almost physical edge when strong enough. I was thankful I took the cautionary step as their emotions hit me in full force when the door loomed open. Whose emotions, I hear you ask? Terrified faces of black chitin and sky blue eyes, tinted with lime green, stared at Celestia in utter terror through enchanted steel bars as if she was about to announce their execution. The occupants of each cell clustered at the wall, huddling together and shivering in fright. Changelings.